The death of gaming

[mwaawm]

A process that started some time ago but seems to be accelerating towards its logical conclusion.

I first became aware of it when I played Resident Evil2 on my N64. I'd been drooling over this for ages at last I thought a chance to see how the other half live with FMV and cinematic storylines. (dont get me wrong I was not a fanboy loved playing Tekken and Soul Edge on my mates PS)

On playing the game sure i jumped at all the right 'scary' bits and enjoyed the unravelling story but had a constant nagging doubt as to whether I was truly enjoying myself or playing simply to see what happens next. On completing the game I was left with sense of it being a huge anticlimax and why had I bothered playing it through when a quick watching of dawn of the dead would have been just as entertaining (probably more so) and consumed less of my valuable free time. I was so concerned about this pointing towards the future of gaming i even wrote a letter to digi about the day all games become sub hollywood cinematic story experiences would be the day I hang up my pads for good.

Well I'm still playing games nowadays (even the Resi games) but not half a smuch as i used to and too many now seem an excercise in completion just to get some sort of value for money out of the disc. I contrast this with playing Volfied on my ST, that floppy disk provided thousands of hours of enjoyment (my whole family , yes even the parents loved playing that game!)

The convergence between gaming, cinema nad music industries is continuing apace and what made gaming so addictive to me is gradually dieing. I can honestly say that i may not even bother with the next generation of hardware as chances are its link to 'gaming' in the form i understood and enjoyed it will be a very tenuous one at best. Welcome to the mainstream.

Before anyone gets on their high horse to accuse me of some sort of hardcore elitism yes there are still good games out there but they are few and far between, too many have pretentions towards being something other/more than a game and very few actually manage to realise the goal of gaming for me which is to keep me entertained.

[Fuddle]

if you dont want to play games any more or dont get enjoyment out of it....just stop.
its no big deal.
there are plenty of things i used to like and dont anymore.
i dont see any reason to moan about it though.

[Henning]

I think this subject has been covered way to long now, with its peak in EDGE Bored to death of videogames? #122.

Try the retro scene it might cheer you up

[Concept]

Nostalgia and apathy can be a dangerous combination.

There are problems currently with videogaming. But there always have been and there always will be.

It's only dead if you want it to be.

Focus on the games you'll know you will like. You say you don't want to play games that are sub-par Hollywood material.

Then don't. Just involve yourself with games that are pure through and through. Games where playability, interaction and skill are the core elements of the title.

The likes of:

P.N.03
Viewtiful Joe
Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution
Ikaruga

As opposed to:

MGS 8
FF 87
RE 19

Of course I don't need to use these as a reminder because I'm sure you're aware that it's not all doom and gloom, and that there are titles out which may tickle whatever is your particular fancy.

Seriously. I really do believe, despite the amount of ****eware out and about, there is enough choice, and quality choice at that, to satisfy a diverse range of tastes.

The situation really isn't that bleak. The only thing I find depressing is the amount of generic software being released that sells well, as opposed to imaginative and daring games which don't.

Look under the covers and you'll more than likely find games you enjoy.

Sometimes it's good to expand the horizons and try something different you normally wouldn't.

[xtremeboat]

When I first got a PS2 I shelled out for the "cool" games like MGS2, GT3 etc. and was pretty underwhelmed. So I got a Gamecube and decided to buy fun games rather than "mature" games. Oh how casual I can be!

[acidforblood]

Never mind playing games....i've nothing to 'say' about playing games. Can't think of any decent topics and it's been like this for weeks now.

So i put it to you, is debating games pointless? Going around in circles discussing the same old guff....

[Ady]

Come on, the guy was only expressing how he feels, there's no reason to be so rude...

[Saurian]

I know what you need to do - you need to stop playing these types of games.

I'm the same, I have no time for most of the "accepted" stuff these days and play games which give short sharp concentrated bursts of entertainment which you can work at for AGES - rather than the borderline watching TV type stuff which is taking over now. Games are about skill - training up on a game and owning it completely is 1000000 times more fun than sitting through the type of game you are bored with.

Start playing shoot em ups man - you'll never look back!


OOOH! Look at that Sir! OOOH Do you want it? Shots Sir? Weaving in and out Sir? OOOOOHH!

[Sidez]

Play Bangaioh. One of the best games on DC by far if not ever.

[Saurian]

I can honestly say that i may not even bother with the next generation of hardware as chances are its link to 'gaming' in the form i understood and enjoyed it will be a very tenuous one at best. Welcome to the mainstream.

Serious man - I felt the same way, but there are devs still doing proper games which require skill, You just have to look a little harder (towards Japan)

[mid]

Between Bangai-O on the DC, Ikaruga on the Cube, Shikigami No Shiro on the XBox (not to mention the myriad of stuff in MAME) and Psyvariar on the PS2 you should be able to find a quality shooter to play no matter which machine you currently own. Trust Saurian, you know he makes sense.

[acidforblood]

Come on, the guy was only expressing how he feels, there's no reason to be so rude...

Put your teeth back in sweetheart....the smilie was aimed at myself.

Let me explain. The next best thing to playing games is talking about games. Now mwaawm's having trouble finding motivation to play games....and i'm having trouble in finding motivation to play and talk about games. Do you see?

Agree with the comments on shooters....back to the coalface sort of gaming, pure and undiluted.

[stroppa]

There are a deluge of boring and uninspired games at the moment. These things tend to happen in phases though. Something good will come along for you at some point, and the whole cycle of originality to plaguarism will start over again, it's just a vicious circle that happens in all mediums of entertainment. Look at how many teen horror films Scream spawned, similarly, look at how many bands a couple of years ago were plugging that retro mod ****e.

I do have to say, that personally speaking, my attention span for games at the moment is limited to fighters and good action based games. In the past I could sit and play an average RPG, now I can only play through it if it's exceptionally good in story, and combat system.

As has been mentioned though, look to the future, Viewtiful Joe, PN03 and Fable to name but 3 games I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on. There is always something good round the corner. Keep the faith.

[Concept]

The problem is on both sides of the fence. Yes, gaming isn't at it's most healthy right now. But I think people grow older and become more jaded. Maybe part of the problem is to do with how we percieve the situation, rather than the situation being independantly cut off from everything itself.

For all we know, in about 20 years time, people might be looking back and saying we were blinded by some kind of golden age, that you kind of get overly used to it all if the quality is high. Because let's face it, despite the amount of crap out at the moment, there have been a number of interesting and exciting titles to get worked up about over the past six months.

I don't know. It's hard to gauge. Do we demand and expect too much perhaps? If the quality was brought up on a notch and it was wave after wave of classics, how we would we adjust our judgements to define the good from the bad?

Sometimes being so heavily involved with games can kind of cloud perception. I'm always caught in two minds as I don't know whether we're currently experiencing a really depressingly cynical time, or an age when the quality, choice and depth has never been higher.

If anything, I think what I miss the most, is the crave of that spark of excitement. It's very hard to get truly worked up like I used to do.

But again, I'm not sure if that's more to do with myself or the current overriding atmosphere pervading the majority of gaming culture. Then again it could be due to the fact that things really are as bad as some make out.

One thing's for sure. It's not black and white.

[stroppa]

The only way to know for sure, is to wait 10 years, and look back in retrospect.